Roundabout.



L. B. STEWART.

- ROU NDABOUT.

- 1911. f 1,014.1 34:6. Patented'Jan. 9, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

L. B. STEWART.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET .3.

, COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0.,W/\sNmaTON, D. c.

LAWSON B. STEWART, 0F RIMERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

ROUNDABOUT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 11, 1911.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

Serial No. 608,093.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAWSON B. STEWART, a citizen of the United States,residing at Rimersburg, in the county of Clarion and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRoundabouts, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in toys, and moreparticularly to the class known as roundabouts, and my object is toprovide a device of this character, which may be easily set up in thehome, or on the surrounding campus. v

A still further object is to provide a device of this character whichwill accommodate several persons, and which may be easily operated bychildren.

A further object is to provide means for the operation of the devicewhich may be manipulated by those using the same.

A further object is to provide an improved means of propulsion for thedevice, and a still further object is to provide a revolving frame whichis driven forwardly by means of clamps engaging a friction disk operatedfrom seats on the frame.

With these and other objects in, view, my invention consists in thenovel features of construction, combination and arrangements of parts aswill be hereinafter referred to and more particularly pointed out in thespecification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, Figure1 is a perspective view of the device; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionthrough the device as seen on line 22, Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan viewof the leverage connecting the operating handles with the clampingmembers; Fig. 4 is a detail perspective of one of the clamping membersremoved from its operative position; and Fig. 5 is a similar view of thefriction disk employed in my device.

In carrying out my invention. I shall refer to the drawings in whichsimilar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and in which 1 indicates a base, which is adapted tobe fixed to a floor, ground or the like,

' 22. These levers 22 are by inserting stakes or the like throughmembers 2 at the ends of said base, and extending upwardly therefrom isa mast or center pole 3, which is securely held in position by means ofthe braces 4., v

A frame composed of the head piece or sleeve 5, the radial arms 6 andbraces 7 extending from the head piece to the arms, is revolubly mountedupon said mast by providing said mast adjacent its upper end with ashoulder 8 upon which the lower face of said sleeve 5 rests after havingre ceived the upper end of said mast, and by providing said mastadjacent its lower end with an additional shoulder or collar 9, uponwhich is adapted to rest the lower faces of the radial arms 6. The innerends of the radial arms 6 are secured to the bottom face of a circularplate 10, which plate is provided with an opening 11 for the insertiontherethrough of the mast 3, and mounted upon the outer ends of said armsare seats 12. As so described, it will be seen that the frame with theseats thereon is adapted to revolve on the mast or center pole, and topropel the device from the seats on the frame, I provide my improvedmeans which will be hereinafter described.

A metal friction disk 13, having a collar 14L thereon, isvmounted uponthe mast 3, a short distance above the plate 10 so as to benon-rotatable thereon, said disk being provided with a depending annularflange 15. A pair of clamping members 16, which rest upon the upper faceof the plate 10, are provided with slots 17 which receive the annulardepending flange 15 of the disk 13, and the inner ends of said membersare provided with integral shanks 18, disposed along one side edge ofthe same, and engaging the central pole or mast 3. The

plates 19 are secured at one end to the upmembers in position on saiddisk. The outer ends of said members are split, as at 20, to

receive the reduced ends of the links or pitmen 21, the opposite ends ofsaid links being engaged with one end of L-shaped levers mounted onthejsupports 23 carried adjacent the ends of the arms 6, and the freeends of said levers are provided with handles 24 positioned adjacent theseats so that the occupants thereof may easily grasp the same.

It will be seen that by having the occupant-in any one of the seats drawinwardly, or toward said seat, the handle 24, the clamp linked to thatparticular handle will be swung in an arc so that the portion 25 of theouter wall of the slot 17 will be forced into frictional engagement withthe outer face of the flange 15 of the friction disk,

thereby causing the frame to revolve for-' wardly about said mast. Thebearing face of the outer wall of said slot 17 is provided with afriction reenforcing face 25, and the point which is adapted to' engagethe disk when said clamp is moved in an are, as clescribed, may beprovided with serrations, and as it is essential to the propulsion ofthe device that the clampsbe engaged wit-h the friction diskalternately, I provide the additional link 26, which connects thelinkengaging end of one of the clamps with the link-engaging end of theopposite lever22. It will be seen that with this'construction, one ofthe handles will be swung inwardly while the other is being movedoutwardly, so that the clamps 16 will be alternately engaged with thefriction disk, and a smoother movement of the frame gained.

In the drawings as disclosed, I have shown only two clamping memberswith their respective leverage, but it will be understood that as manyclamps may be provided as there are seats, if so desired. In a device ofthis kind in which there are merely four seats provided, it has beenfound sufiicient to provide but two propelling clamps, and itmay bestated that one occupant may propel the device by the use of only onelever, as the leverage is such as to give great power with slight manualoperation.

I From the foregoing, it will be seen that I have provided a devicehaving a frame revoluble on a mast, and adapted to be propelled by meansof frictional devices operated by persons carried on the frame. It willstill further be seen that I have provided an improved friction meansfor the propulsion of my device comprising a sta tionary disk andfriction clamps adapted to be forced into engagement therewith. It willstill further be seen that I have provided a device of this characterwhich consists of few working parts, and which is practicallyinexpensive to manufacture. It will still. further be seen that byproviding the connecting link 26, as hereabove described, the clampswill be alternately engaged with the friction disks, so that the lever24 may beeflectively operated, both in its outward and its inwardmovement from and to the seat, respectively. Hence it will be seen thatone person may operate the device effectively.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a fixed base, a mastthereon, a frame revolubly mounted on said mast, a disk fixedly mountedon said mast, levers carried by said frame, clamping members alsocarried by the frame in a position in close proximity to said disk,links connecting each clamp with a lever, and an additional linkconnecting one of said clamps with the opposed lever, whereby saidclamps may be alternately forced into frictional engagement with saiddisk to revolve the frame on said mast.-

2. A device of the character described, comprising the combination witha fixed base, a mast thereon, a frame carrying seats thereon revolublymounted on said mast, a circular plate carried by the frame throughwhich said mast extends and a disk fixed on said mast provided with adepend ing flange, said disk being spaced a short distance above saidplate; of clamping members resting on said plate provided with slots toreceive the depending flange of the disk, operating means carried by theframe and disposed adjacentthe seats for forcing the clamps intofrictional engagement with the disk, and additional means connecting theoperating means of the respective clamps, whereby the effectiveengagement of the clamps with the disk will be alternate.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a fixedbase, a mast thereon, a frame revolubly mounted on said mast, said framebeing provided with a circular plate through which said mast extends anda disk fixed on said mast and spaced a short distance above said plate,said disk beingprovided with an annular depending flange; of a pair ofclamping members resting on said plate provided with slots to receivethe annular flange of said disk, the walls of said slots being serratedto provide eflective engaging faces, plates removably engaged with saidclamping members and contacting with the upper face of said disk toretain said clamping members in position thereagainst, and means carriedon said frame for alternately forcing the engaging faces of saidclamping members into frictional engagement with the flange of saiddisk.

4:. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a fixed base, a mast thereon, a frame revolublymounted on said mast and a disk fixed on said mast; of a pair ofclamping members carried by the frame and adapted to revolve with theframe about id. i a pair of.- l ers m nt d. n id frame at diametricallyopposite points thereon, a link connecting each of said In testimonywhereof I hereunto aifix my clgmping members with a lever, and ansignature in the presence of two witnesses. a ditional linkin memberconnecting one m of said clamping ilembers with the lever of LAWSONSTEWAR the opposed clamping member, whereby the Witnesses: v levers mayonly be operated alternately to S. H. STEWART, force the clampingmembers into frictional JOHN W. HULL. engagement with the disk.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D; G."

